


Tacenda

by futurevampiress



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman - All Media Types, The Dark Knight Rises
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Former Agent, Former CIA, Mentions of Rape, Past Kidnapping, Past Rape/Non-con, Prologue, Two-Parts, Violence, silent sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-10-21 19:05:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17648237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/futurevampiress/pseuds/futurevampiress
Summary: Origin | Latin: things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Come get y'all juice, twitter frens.

You had first heard of Bane when you were working for the CIA as part of the Special Activities Division. According to your superior officer Bill Wilson, Bane popped up on their radar when he executed a coup in West Africa. Consequently, it allowed John Daggett—the owner of a construction company named Daggett Industries—access to its resources, bringing his company to prominence. The topic had piqued your interest, especially when he relayed the rumours surrounding Bane.

From the way Bill spoke about him, Bane sounded like an old legend that camp-goers would tell at night around a campfire: how a terrifying mercenary that wore a mask would pillage your city and hang your body on display as a warning to anyone that prevented him from completing his lifelong mission. You scoffed at first, believing him to be nothing more than a criminal in pursuit of blood diamonds. However, you did not realize that he was so much more than what folklore portrayed him as.

Intrigued by all the fable stories your colleagues loved to tell, you decided to seek him out. You were more than qualified to infiltrate his group of loyal followers given your skilled repertoire which included hand-to-hand combat, cyberwarfare, tracking, closed circuit diving, HALO parachuting, SERE training, covert channels, proficient use in tactical employment of weaponry and so on. Along with being a polylingual, a talented liar, and a dexterous temptress, you were a dangerous concoction that would implode on your own command.

Since the CIA trained you so well and you were certainly one of the best assets the agency had, you had no problem going off the grid and staying low. You obtained all the information they currently had on Bane, including his recent whereabouts. You added the paperwork to your duffle bag, along with a change of clothes, a map, binoculars, a compass, and other survival equipment to help you on your journey. And, of course, you would bring your own good humour.

It was the first time you had gone off on your own, but you were so fascinated by Bane and his stories that you wanted to know more, upfront and centre. You wanted to see him in action and understand what all the fuss was about. The CIA had apprehended blood diamond traffickers before, so what was so special about this one?

You quickly booked tickets for the next plane out to Sierra Leone, and set out for the airport. Getting past the security was no challenge at all. You proudly showed the screening officer your forged passport from one of the many identities you were administered for your covert missions overseas. The officer commented on your minimal luggage, including the fact that you did not seem to be bringing a phone nor electronics of any kind. You simply stated that you only intended to stay in Sierra Leone for a few days, and wanted to disconnect from the world.

He bought it.

The data on Bane remained secure in your jacket, and raised no warning flags to the other security personnel before boarding the plane, or after. You sat comfortably in first class, a seat to yourself, with a lovely view of the land. The flight alone was sixteen hours, so you had plenty of time to go over your plan of subversion. The first step, however, would be the hardest: locating Bane.

You began structuring your strategy about ten hours after takeoff. You indulged in some pretentious lunch, watched a movie, and then caught up on some sleep to refresh your brain and body. Then, in the dark of the night and while the other passengers were asleep, you took out the files on Bane and your map of Western Africa. You circled the most well-known sites for blood diamonds—and legal diamonds—then pin-pointed Bane’s recent whereabouts within a ten-mile radius. The CIA documents had low-quality images of Bane’s men, but nothing of Bane himself. You huffed in annoyance and flipped through the papers and focused on the important parts, like location, dates, times, and names.

Four hours after studying the material and coming up with a probable plan, you fell asleep once again to prepare yourself for the morning to come.

* * *

Posing as a simple backpacker, you set out into the lands of Sierra Leone after landing at Lungi International Airport. The most desirable site for mining was around Freetown, which was where Bane was last seen. But you doubted he would go to the same place twice. Nevertheless, you went there first.

Everywhere you went, the streets and trails were crawling with soldiers. You knew not to trifle in matters that were not your own—well, another _country’s_ affairs. Bane was not a country; he was a mercenary. And despite the files saying not to engage him directly, you would make that decision when and if the time came. His size did not matter to you. Though having a hulking body had its advantages, a smaller person such as yourself could evade him if brought face-to-face with him. He may have been trained by a mystery organization, but you were trained by the best, capable of fighting the best, and then some. You had your own tricks up your sleeve.

After taking a ferry from the airport to Freetown, you ventured out into the vast jungle, using your compass to follow the coordinates of Bane’s last mining operation. The Sierra Leone Civil War may have ended in 2002, but the country was still tense politically. You’d hate to find out what they’d do if they found out a CIA agent from the Special Activities Division was creeping around their old mining digs. But you knew how to act the fool if someone thought you were getting a little too close to illegal activity:

Moronic adventurous woman gets lost in the jungle while hitchhiking, hoping to gaze upon the magnificent wildlife.

A naïve cover story, but a believable cover story.

Travelling through the vast and thick forestry for hours was not as bad as you sought it out to be. You found water and food thanks to your training, and evaded potential threats from the lurking creatures behind every corner. You thought that the mining site would be a lot larger and easier to find, but that was a civilian’s thinking. If Bane had avoided being discovered for so long, then it could have been because of several factors:

1\. He was feared, leaving the country in unrest and powerless to retaliate  
2\. He had the most skilled men from every crevice a mercenary could find  
3\. The government was funding his mining digs, along with Daggett Industries

Every single option was viable, so you kept your guard up. Eluding the eyes of dangerous men was a feat in itself. You did not intend on being spotted unless you wanted to. But just like the climate, your situation was also unpredictable.

Unbeknownst to you, you were nearing the current mining mission to help replenish Daggett Industries. You stopped a mile away from the site to take a drink of water. The heavy mass that was your binoculars made your bones ache while hanging around your neck, so you sat down on a mossy boulder and took a breather. You glanced at your map one last time before folding it back up and stuffing it back in your duffle bag along with your binoculars. After your break, you stretched your limbs, tightened your laces, and continued your hunt.

You walked stealthily through the thick maze of tall grass, ears open and eyes everywhere else. It was difficult to sense anything in such a vast space where sounds were swallowed up by the soft environment, but minutes later, you heard the lax murmur of conversation.

This is it, you thought.

Now that Step One had been completed, it was time for Step Two in your meet-and-greet with Bane: get captured.

You clutched the drawstrings of your bag, huffed a breath, and kept walking, and pretended that everything was normal. You were not positive that the men you were hearing were Bane’s men, but who else would be around those parts? You stuck your head up and looked around, feigning ignorance about what you were going to stumble into.

As you hovered your hand over your eyes to shield away the sun, you came into the view of a group of four armed men, standing guard.

“Hey!” one of them yelled. The others raised their guns and pointed them at you, startled by your appearance. You turned to them and started in surprise, raising your hands in the air.

“I-I’m sorry!” you said, turning on your “defenceless woman” façade. “I was just looking for the wildlife reserve. You wouldn’t happen to know where it is, would you?”

The men stared at you with intensity. They showed no signs of lowering their weapons, and they were suspicious of your presence. One of them stepped forward and slung his gun around his back. He had a sense of entitlement about him, especially with the dumb smirk on his face.

“This whole jungle is a wildlife reserve,” he sneered. The other men chuckled while you just kept your guard up. You didn’t want to get killed; an injury was acceptable, depending on the type, but a shot to the chest was not an option. Locate, infiltrate, try not to die. You were you, and you knew what you were capable of.

“O-Oh. Is it really?” you said, looking around you. “I never saw any signs overhead indicating it was.”

You gulped and blinked rapidly, hoping the men would think you were scared out of your mind. Sweat rolled down your forehead, and your hands trembled. Your eyes radiated fear of death, which only made the men smile wider. Another one approached you casually, and stood a little too close for your liking.

“You surprised us,” he laughed, his grin beaming. “You didn’t make a sound.”

“I did not want to disturb the animals,” you coolly lied.

“No, no. Oh no, no, no,” the man said, shaking his head. “What you did was more than not wanting to catch the attention of the creepy crawlers around here. No. What you did was expertly taught, perfected by years of practice.”

“Like I said, I–“

“Search her.”

The man gave a wave of his hand and the other two rounded either side of you. One of them pulled your duffle bag off your shoulders while the other forced you to your knees and held his gun on you. You put your hands behind your head as you watched the other dump out your bag’s contents in front of you. Your binoculars, compass, map, water bottle, extra clothes, snacks, and Bane’s files—plastered with the CIA logo—fell to the dirt.

“This bitch is CIA.”

You hung your head as a smile slowly crept its way onto your face. All of the men stood back and took aim at you.

“Who sent you?!” the leader asked aggressively.

“No one sent me,” you replied, your façade disappearing. You arched a brow as you raised your head.“I was merely curious.”

One of them didn’t like the smug look on your face and sought to fix the problem by hitting you in the back. You hissed in pain and hunched over, but it just made you laugh. You licked your lips and spoke once more, just to get your point across.

“I wouldn’t come all the way out here by myself, unarmed, just for the thrill of seeing a magnificent beast. At least, not of the animal variety.”

The men did not answer to your rambling. They just kept their guns delicately aimed at your head and heart. You shook your head, looking from one man to the next.

“Look,” you said, getting to your feet. They clutched their guns tighter, fingers hovering over their triggers. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. “I am not here on my agency’s behalf. That place is ancient history to me. Dispensable for all I care. I came here for one purpose, and one purpose only: to meet Bane.”

“And what makes you think we would take someone like you to meet him?”

“Because I am _me_ ,” you jeered. “Don’t you think an authoritarian terrorist like Bane would want someone that can provide insight—and I’m just spit-balling here—secret information? I don’t know about you, but I’m worth a whole lot more alive than dead.”

“What makes you think we’d trust you?”

“It’s a leap of faith, fellas. I can never go back there anyways. I’m collateral damage, and I’ll probably be on their most wanted list after I help you. So instead of wasting time explaining things here, how about I discuss these matters with the man in charge, hmm?”

The men gave each other concerning glances. It was one thing for a random civilian to wander into a diamond mine by accident, but a CIA agent that wanted to _help_ the League of Shadows was another. A lot of the men were former soldiers, assassins, mercenaries and such, but they were all _men_. It was easy for them to drop everything and join an organization that was powered by a real sense of justice and a powerful mission. But women were vastly different. They thought differently, spoke differently, and behaved differently. Then again, the real leader of the League was a woman, so what was the harm in letting another one join?

Your eyebrow twitched in annoyance when they were taking too long to make a decision. You decided to speed up the process by speaking non-sense.

“Ahh, I see. At the mention of your leader possibly being threatened from an outsider you feel the need to defend him from any hostilities. Okay. I get it. But guys, my purpose is to just listen. Listen to why he’s doing what he’s doing and go from there. Play a little twenty-one questions. Get to know him, shake his hand, share my opinions and such. You know, you guys might even—“

The leader of the group stuffed a rag in your mouth to stop you from talking any longer. He narrowed his eyes, thought about the situation, and sighed.

“Tie her up. She’s coming with us.”

You smiled through the rag and compliantly remained still while the men tightly bound your wrists together with rope. They also blindfolded you before roughly bringing you to your feet. The leader of the group collected the discarded CIA files from the ground and stuffed them in his vest. He walked forward while the other men shoved you along. 

You nearly tripped four times from the rough terrain on the way to the mine. But it just made you laugh. You tried peeking through the blindfold to see what the men were doing, but to no avail. Sighing, you remained silent as you were cascaded down twirling paths and jerked left and right to keep you from falling into the pit below. Your presence caught the attention of every man there. There were hushed whispers and heated glares, but none of them protested loud enough for the guards to care. And finally, after an endless bound of hallways and tunnels compiled of nothing but dirt and sand, the men pushed you into an empty, isolated space that resembled an interrogation room.

A single chair sat in the middle of the room with one light bulb hanging from the ceiling. You would have groaned at the awful cliché if you could see it. They sat you down and tied you to the chair. They kept the rag in your mouth and left without a word, locking the door and leaving you alone to your thoughts. As soon as they were gone, you let go of the breath you were holding and relaxed your body. You furrowed your brows together in confusion.

I guess he _does_ hire anybody, you thought.

In a matter of ten minutes, you managed to free yourself from the pitiful rope job the men did. You removed the blindfold and spat out the rag. Shaking your head in disappointment, you paced around the room while twirling the fabric around your hands. You had hoped that the men would bring Bane straight to you, or that they would bring you right to Bane, but those options both proved to be evidently untrue. So until you met Bane, you passed the time by playing jump rope, doing a quick workout, and meditating.

Two hours passed before you heard clamouring from outside the door. You raised a brow as you sat on the floor, back against the wall. If something was happening on the outside and you got caught socializing with a terrorist organization… well. You could get away without a trace of having been there. But instead, you sat there until someone unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Kept me waiting long enough.” You yawned and looked at the non-existent watch on your wrist. The men were unpleasantly surprised by the fact that you were not securely tied to your chair. You gave them a lopsided smile and shrugged your shoulders. “A toddler with no hands could have done a better rope job than you lousy runts. And since you didn’t bring anyone in a commanding position for your visit with me, I’m guessing you’re here to take me back out? Yeah? N—oookay!”

The men stomped forward and dragged you by your arms to your feet. They did not tie you up nor blindfold you; they simply thrust you forward with a shove of their assault rifles. You casually walked with them compliantly while looking around curiously. You had seen many legal diamond mines before, and the one before you could definitely pass for one, but of course, it was not. You were not surprised that the operation had not been shut down by outside forces, but that was the least of your worries. You had one goal, and you hoped that the men escorting you would deliver.

They delivered you all right—to the very bottom of the mine. The men stopped on the lowest berm, and shunted you forward onto the sand. You shot them an unamused glare but nonetheless walked forward. It was as if all the work was put on hold just to have a look at you, like a rat stuck in a maze. Some of the men chuckled at your supposed predicament, others merely stared. All in all, they reveled in the joke that was your current situation.

You huffed a sigh and crossed your arms, popping your hip. You had waited two hours just to be brought to a sandy pit? You didn’t like it. You pursed your lips in thought, trying to figure out what they really wanted with you.

You got your answer of course, when a man rushed you. Cocking your head to the side, it took you a split second to determine that this maniacal show was about testing your skills to the entirety of the group.

That was perfectly okay with you.

Sparring was one of your favourite amusements while training to be a part of the Special Activities Division. It was all fun when you beat a lot of the men, especially when they took their loss in stride.

You were ecstatic to do it all over again.

Upon seeing the boastful men that fought with you, you commented on the fact that none of them looked like Bane; not even a close resemblance.

“Nope, not you!”

“You’re _definitely_ not Bane.”

“Not you either, noodle arms.”

“You’re big… but not big enough!”

The absolute satisfaction you got from beating man after man was exhilarating. Your knuckles were red and bruised, your heart was on fire, and your skin was crawling with goosebumps. You hadn’t felt so alive in so long. The agency had given you plenty of acceptable missions that involved physicality, but beating the hell out of every low-life criminal, mercenary, and assassin was much more fulfilling. After defeating the twelfth man, you threw your hands up in the air, a beaming grin on your face.

“Is this—is this my job interview?! Because if it is, then I’m fucking killing it! What else you got?!”

Finally, after spending all of your time brawling with brutish men in the dirt, the last contender stepped into the ring with you. Wiping the sweat from your brow, you gave the man a once-over. He was on the shorter side, but he had an essence of authority about him. He walked with a purpose, and the other men parted when he made his presence known. He carried his own assault rifle and wore a military grade armoured vest.

“You look important,” you said, pointing a finger at him. “I bet that if I take _you_ down, then I’ll finally get to meet the legend himself. So, how ‘bout we get to it then?”

Without a word, the man handed his rifle to a henchman, then strode forward to face you. You paced around him, and he just watched you, turning his head left and right.

“Since this fight actually matters, allow me the honour of knowing your name.”

You stopped pacing in front of him and stood with your arms behind your back. You stuck your ear out for an answer, but he didn’t open his mouth.

“Come on,” you sighed impatiently. “You all already know my name. It is only proper of me to ask the name of the man whose ass I’m about to kick. None of the other men mattered since they were obviously your fighting dogs. And a man who sends another to do his own dirty work is near the top of the hierarchy. So it is fitting that I receive y—“

“Do you ever shut up?”

You beamed at him when he decided to speak. He didn’t give his name, but a verbal response was just as wonderful.

“Oh good, you can talk. Now, I hope your fighting is not the same as your communication skills. Otherwise we’re _all_ going to be very disappointed.”

A poke at a man’s pride and ability to perform was always a great way to provoke a man, no matter his personality or mindset. It was your favourite tactical technique to knock a man off his game and provide opportunities for you to hit weak spots and bring them down more efficiently. And no matter how hard-headed or egg-brained the man, it worked like a charm every time.

The man before you took some time to react, just for the dramatics of it all.

He took the first swing, allowing you to capture him in your ludicrous combat dance. You kept a smile on your face to give him a reason to want to beat the shit out of you. It definitely made for a better fight, and entertainment for the crowd.

The loyal followers cheered for their fellow man and yelled every offensive thing that came to mind at you. But they were all just white noise in your ears. The only thing you heard was the overwhelming beat of your heart.

Despite being a small man, your opponent put up quite a fight, much more so than the others before him. He was quick and nimble just like yourself, which made him a close equal match. The two of you were toe-to-toe, and you wanted it no other way. You made no taunts or any other verbal provocation; the look in his eyes was all you needed to keep going.

You both landed solid blows to each other. The blood on your hands and his face was gratifying, but you could feel the black eye forming in your eye socket and your jaw ached with intensity. The pain meant nothing when meeting Bane was on the line. You had no idea if beating the man would guarantee you a spot in Bane’s audience, but it was worth a shot. Plus, you would get a rather decent sleep afterwards.

The fight reached its pivotal point, and you wanted to end it quickly, swiftly, and professionally. Every time he thought he had you, you managed to turn it around on him and use it as his weakness. Every leg and fist he caught, you out-maneuvered him. But the music was climaxing, signalling the dance was coming to an end. You had drawn out the fight to show how long you could withstand a beating, but you were tired, and wanted to have your wish fulfilled already.

Without wasting a second, you brought your rival to the ground with an upwards elbow strike, and then another elbow to his neck before yanking his head back and using your weight to pin him to the ground with your knee on his back. The whole mine went completely silent the moment you defeated him. You tilted your head back to scan the crowd, your chest heaving. Flitting your eyes left and right, your search came to a stop about fourteen berms above you. There, standing with his hands gripping his vest and delivering a penetrating glare from behind his mask, was the man himself.

Bane.

Your mouth twitched into a smile the moment your eyes landed on him. Your grip tightened on the man below you, and listened to him grunting in pain. Chuckling lowly to yourself, you stood up and roughly pushed the man away with your eyes still on Bane. Bane tilted his head and said something to one of his men, keeping his gaze with you. Then he turned around and left, while the man he spoke to shouted something in Latin to everyone in the mine. You grinned, knowing exactly what the man said.

_Bring her up here!_

You backed away from your defeated opponent with pride. You thought about offering a hand to help him up, but he was already on his feet before you could bring your hand forward. You gave him one last smile before turning around and walking back up the berms to go visit Bane.

Speed walking back up the mine got your heart racing once again. You had a spring in your step and you tried to keep your smile at bay, but it just was not happening. Nevertheless, you happily followed some new men to a different part of the mine. Despite all the dirt and dark tunnels, that certain part of the mine seemed cleaner and appeared as more of a makeshift headquarters. You were brought to the group’s temporary command centre, and forced down on a chair. You stared wearily at the advanced computer screen in front of you. You guessed what they wanted next.

“Well, this doesn’t surprise me,” you said, yawning widely. “Break into the CIA database and collect everything and anything I can? You bore me.”

You plucked the USB from one of the men’s hands without looking and plugged it into the port before getting to work. Encryption, extraction, and efficiency. Cyber warfare was one of your favourite areas of expertise; mostly because you enjoyed showing off how fast you could type on a keyboard. The men watched closely and remained silent, letting the clacking of the letters be the only sound resonating in the room. You huffed a sigh and yawned again once or twice. When you were finished, you safely removed the USB and held it up in the palm of your hand.

“Satisfied?” you asked, knowing you would not receive an answer.

“Yes.”

You immediately perked up at the sound of a new voice. But it was… muffled. And enhanced. Your back straightened instinctively as heavy footsteps approached you from behind. The man’s presence was nothing like you had ever felt before. It was as if the air got stuffier, and the room got smaller.

You were ecstatic.

Rounding your left side, a man of great stature and authority stood before you. Slowly, you turned your head in his direction and trailed your eyes up his body to his mask-covered face.

 _Bane_.

Your eyes were wide with curiosity, but shone with admiration. You resisted the urge to lick your lips while keeping his gaze. Your first impression of him was completely unprofessional and un-called for, but you did not care whatsoever. If he was the man that you were going to be working for, then there were things that you just had to keep to yourself.

“I’ve heard many things about you since your arrival,” he said, breaking the silence. “What is it you intend to do here?”

Your whole body slumped at his question. You thought you had made that point painfully obvious the moment you had stumbled upon his secret mining operation. But you figured he wanted verbal confirmation of your main objective.

“Join you,” came your tempered reply.

He did not give you a response. He just breathed through his mask and stared you down. The atmosphere was tense, and you could practically feel the fear mixed with devotion radiating off of the other men in the room. Bane was an intimidating man, all right. But you didn’t fall so easily into his trance. A different kind of influence, maybe, but not one of fear.

And _that_ is what frightened you the most.

You slackened your jaw to open your mouth once more to see if you would receive a reaction to your answer, but he beat you to it.

“And why would a CIA operative want any part in what we do? What is it do you think you know?”

Supporting your fist in your hand, you swayed yourself back and forth in your seat, thinking of a suitable answer; one that would prove your worth and fidelity to his cause. However, your prolonged response did not sit well with one of the hired gunmen.

“Answer him!”

At the same time that you turned around to look at the man in disgust, Bane raised his head to judge he who spoke. The man gulped, but did not back down. You raised your hand to shoo him away, but the man only listened to Bane.

“Leave us. All of you.”

Without protest, all five men disappeared out the door quietly. Then, it was just you and Bane.

“That lot were definitely terrified of you,” you commented, swinging around to face Bane completely. “Rightfully so.”

“You are not.”

It was not a question, but a statement. Bane could see in your eyes that you held no contempt for him. It was a rare occurrence for Bane to see such an expression from a willing applicant, especially when that applicant was a woman. And from the CIA no less. You knew that you did not have to dignify his observance with a response, but you did so anyway as your flippant humour melted away.

“No.”

Bane sighed heavily. He ruled and commanded his men through trepidation for the most part, but also with a purpose that they all agreed with. It was difficult to tell what your true intentions were, but if he had to guess… you wanted to give yourself to him. Wholly and truthfully. He witnessed first-hand your skills in combat and hacking government systems. There was a place for you in the League, but a matter of trust was the issue at hand. But before he sent you out on a mission to prove yourself, he asked you a few more personal questions to see what lay beneath your interesting personality.

“When did you experience true despair?”

“And why would you want to hear a lowly woman’s sob story?”

“You would not have come here for no ordinary purpose.”

Casting your eyes downward, you scoffed and shook your head. If Bane wanted to know the darkest and most painful parts of your past, then he would get his wish if it meant that you could join him.

“Two years ago, I was deployed on a recon mission in Eastern Asia,” you began, staring at the blank computer monitor. “It was routine. I had done it a dozen times before. Secure the target, and extract what was needed. No complications, no witnesses, no imperfections. And most importantly: no causality. If I screwed up and it affected the agency, then my fate was sealed. My life would be equivalent to that of krill.”

“Krill?”

“Born for the sole purpose of being consumed.”

Bane furrowed his brows in the slightest, which was the first time he had changed his expression. You merely raised a brow at him before continuing on.

“Of course, as you may have inferred, I screwed up. Or rather, I was blindsided. One man turned into twenty. I was more than capable of subduing them on my own, and I did. For the most part. I guess they were too cowardly and weak and intimidated to handle a woman that was kicking their asses while wearing five-inch heels. So, they shot a dart at me. Ketamine. It was effective.”

You paused, remembering the recollections of that night. Despite the fact that the ketamine did a thorough job of robbing you of your memory at the time, you recalled minute details just days after the incident. It was not a pleasant thing for you to talk about, let alone think about, but you had gotten over it. Relaying the information to Bane was just for his benefit.

“You know,” you began again, shaking your head, “I’ll just get to the point. Long story short—“

“No,” Bane interrupted. “I need to hear it all.”

“Why does it matter?”

Bane grabbed a chair and pulled it forward so he could sit down. He folded his hands together and leaned forward.

“Because the devil is in the details.”

He sat back and gestured his hands to you for you to give him the full story. You narrowed your eyes at him, and wondered if he was reveling in some sort of sick game of torturing you emotionally by retelling what had happened to you. But you did not believe that that was his intention. By the way he comfortably sat down to listen to your woes, you surmised that it was pure curiosity.

“All right,” you sighed, defeated. You rubbed your tired eyes and cleared your throat, prepared to reveal every little detail that Bane yearned for.

“I woke up in their perfected torture chamber. Since they were elegant, professional men, it was quite luxurious. Soundproof, stainless steel chains, various sharpened tools hanging on the wall, the works, y’know. I was on my knees, and my wrists were bound by chains tethered to the ceiling. They had a miraculous time forcing me in different positions to their liking. They began with regular intimidation tactics: threats, smacking my face, pricking my skin with their pointed knives. It was pathetic, to be honest. I never budged.”

You paused once more, prompting Bane to cock his head. You knew Bane was listening intently and you intended to bare your soul to him, but you wanted to get your message across in the way that you wanted. What you went through did not reflect your character; it merely shaped you into who you were, and what you would become.

“Then they amped it up when they couldn’t get anything out of me,” you said, voice quiet. “Knives became electroshock and punches became rape. I fought them off with everything I had, but I didn’t let them get to me. No matter what they did. They taunted me, saying that dedicating my life to the mission was not worth all the pain they were inflicting on me. That I should just give in, and end my suffering.”

“And did you relent?”

You smiled sweetly when Bane decided to break your concentration again.

“What do you think?” you asked, the unsettling smile still plastered on your face. When he did not reply, you answered for him. “I gave them a show worthwhile. I cried, begged for mercy, and cried some more. After I ‘surrendered’, they brought in my original target so he could hear what he wanted for himself. His men sprang me up so he could see the torment in my eyes while I disclosed the information he needed. I asked him to come closer and closer until we were nose-to-nose. And when he requested my compliance one more time… well. I happily spat in his face and wrapped my legs around his neck and squeezed until he passed out.”

You grinned like you were remembering a cherished childhood memory. In a twisted, disturbing way, it was.

“They didn’t like that very much,” you said, pursing your lips. You glanced at Bane, but he just stared right back at you. “They pulled me back, roughed me up a bit, then slammed the door shut while dragging their sorry excuse of a boss behind them. I was very proud. But a short hour later, they returned. They thought it’d be an ingenious idea to give me a lifelong reminder of what happens when I don’t play by their rules. They ripped off my shirt, held me down, and gave me a sizable brand on my back. The pain, of course, was unbearable, but I didn’t give in. Not even when they told me that I would be their sole source of entertainment from then on. Being their personal ragdoll was better than giving up an innocent family.”

Bane raised a brow at the mention of that particular detail. You licked your lips and nodded.

“Yeah. I had some morality at the time. It withered away however, just like I did in that chamber. I had no sense of time. There were no windows, no clock, nothing to remind me what the outside world looked like. Day in and day out was the same routine: breakfast, torture, bathroom break, tag-teaming, dinner, triple-teaming, and me finding some sleep somewhere in-between. It was a wonderful cycle. My favourite part was when they showed me the other rooms where they held their prisoners. Torturing them, listening to their screams, their cries of mercy. They told me that their pain was my fault. That if I had just told them in the beginning what they wanted, then none of them would’ve been captured and brutalized for sport. But I wasn’t so easily swayed. I knew that it wasn’t my fault, and I still maintain that defence. Whatever they did was not my burden to bear. I thought that was the worst of it. But turns out, they had an even bigger plan in mind.”

It unnerved Bane in the slightest when you began laughing hysterically. But it clued him in about something important: you were broken. And with his luck, you still were.

“T-They—They had me believe that I was being rescued!” You keeled over in your chair and slapped your knee as you recalled the experience. You sat back up and rolled closer to Bane so he could feel the full effect of your emotions. “They had me chained at my wrists and ankles, right? Pinned to the floor, I wasn’t going anywhere. I didn’t even try to get out of them. Anyway, one day, I heard a lot of men shouting from the outside. Gunfire, fighting, all that jazz. Then, men dressed in S.W.A.T. uniforms burst into my chamber and saw me passed out on the floor. Bruised and bleeding and just… destroyed. Miscarriage is painful, you know. You don’t want to move too much. Anyhow, they cut my chains and started carrying me out of there. I woke up midway through the excursion. I was disoriented and confused, but I was conscious enough to realize that I was being saved. I had never been so relieved in my life. I was thanking them and smiling for the first time in months.”

Your laughter died down considerably as you revealed the truth behind your supposed liberation.

“They brought me outside, put me on a chopper, and delivered me to a different facility. I thought it to be a rehabilitation centre, since everything was stark white. But they placed me in the basement. Tossed me in a room similar to the one I was previously held in. The men removed their helmets, and my heart sank. They were the same men that were raping and torturing me. They laughed in my face and told me that I was never getting out. And that’s when I finally gave in. I didn’t resist when they came to do their bidding. I was a model prisoner.

“The kicker however, was that they gave me windows. They didn’t keep me chained down. There were ample opportunities for me to escape on my own, and they made sure to make it known to me. Because they knew that I wouldn’t try to get away. I was outnumbered, damaged, and psychologically tortured. They nearly had me under their complete control. But I reminded myself everyday who I was, and what that meant to me. It kept me sane. Sane enough until I could figure out a way to get out without any repercussions.”

You halted your tale once more to push yourself away from Bane and spin around in your chair a little. It allowed you to calm down somewhat from unleashing your tear-jerking backstory. It was the first time you had retold it to someone who was not involved in any aspect of it. Although it was slightly painful to go through it again, it was refreshing to tell an outsider. They always had a different point of view on things and didn’t judge as much. You never thought you’d be telling Bane of all people, but maybe he was the one who would understand the most. You knew your colleagues and superior officer did not fully grasp the gravity of your situation once you explained what had happened. But Bane on the other hand, he would know someone’s whole life story just by looking in their eyes.

And he knew yours. Hearing it from you yourself just added to the depth and perception he had of you.

Determined to hear the ending of your story, Bane stood up and grabbed the back of your chair and spun you around to face him. You glared up at him miserably, and gripped the arms of the chair. The enthusiasm from the beginning of your day had all but dissipated. Your body was drained from fighting, and the adrenaline wasted you away. Sharing your traumatic experience with Bane was… something else for sure, but it was uplifting in a way.

You blew your hair from your face and pushed yourself away from Bane to a comfortable distance. But Bane closed it up again. You didn’t bother moving away anymore. If that’s how Bane wanted to play it, then you would go along.

“The big finale is quite boring, I assure you,” you told him.

Bane lowered his head so he could look at you properly. His grip on the back of your chair tightened, causing your heart to skip a beat. You thought he had heard it.

“Go on,” was all he said. And without prolonging the torment any longer, you finished your story.

“It took almost a year for my agency to find me because of their incompetence. They were following leads that were dead-ends, and asked the wrong people the wrong questions. It was like they weren’t even trying to find me. Miraculously though, an unfortunate airstrike hit their base of operations. The whole basement shook, dust falling from the ceiling. I didn’t give a shit about what was happening. Men stormed the facility, took what they needed, and left. And that included me. I thought it was another rescue ploy, since it seemed to be their favourite method of brutalization. But when I woke up, I was back in the states, in the hospital, with my superior officer by my side. All was well again. After rehab and therapy, I was back on the job sooner than they liked. I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself. They put me on desk duty, which I thought was extremely unacceptable, but I had no say in it. But now, here I am, two years later, betraying everything that I once stood for. All because some men decided to pummel me to the depths of my soul.”

Bane nodded once and stood back up, and gripped his vest again. You slouched in your chair, and impatiently waited for his decision with an annoyed raise of your brow. You tapped your finger on the desk while you watched the cogs spin together in his mind.

“I ask again,” he said, his tone definite. “What is it you intend to do here?”

You had hoped that he would have just accepted you already, but it seemed that Bane loved hearing full explanations for reasons of employment before hiring people. You understood completely. And no matter how much you didn’t like it, you wanted to be a part of his mission.

“My intentions are quite clear,” you answered daringly. You leaned forward in your seat and set your elbows on your knees. “I’ve come so I can be given the chance to liberate those who are experiencing the same horrors that I did. To punish those who would dare to use a woman for pain and pleasure or to gamble a child’s life. But to also give them the opportunity to punish their abusers themselves. Of course, that’s just the surface of my objectives. Whatever you ask of me, I will do it.”

“You would follow my every command?”

“Without question.”

“Even if that command was to choke a woman to death in her sleep?”

“Yes.”

“Or to take a little boy’s life by slitting his throat?”

“Yes.”

“You contradict yourself.”

“You got me very melancholic,” you pointed out. “I am a woman of many faces, and I can show them all to you if you give me the chance. I will eliminate those who stand in your way. But I will also help those who had no part in the terror by letting them live another day. I understand collateral damage, but those innocent should not be held under the knife. I will not be so careless as I was.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I will be under your authority.”

You stood up out of your chair and put your hands on your hips as you walked right up to Bane. You couldn’t intimidate him with your size, but your glare made up for it. He remained unperturbed.

“You know I am more than capable,” you said, lowering your voice. “ _I_ know I am more than capable. And I am not leaving here without a straightforward answer. You need me to take a life? I will do it. You need me to seduce? I will do it. You need me to break into sensitive security systems to allow safe passage for your other men? I will do it. You need me to act as bait? I. Will. Do. It. Although I will admit, my life is not so expendable like some of the other hired guns you have around here. The ones most useful to you will benefit you greatly, and I am one of those people.

“So sure of yourself,” he said, squinting. “Even as your past failure haunts you, even as you suffer with your inner turmoil, you wish to dive head-first back into the chaos and come out tainted on the other side?”

“My old colleagues were under the impression that I was ruthless, but also a goody-goody,” you scoffed. “They never suspected that my persona was something else entirely. Slightly more sinister. My hands were never clean. And the moment I got on that plane, they just got dirtier. I’m never going back, and I did not plan to in the first place. Nor do I plan to expose you. What you have here is too significant to destroy. Plus, you’d kill me before my finger hit the keyboard.”

He raised his head a little higher when you let on more than you should know. He knew that you would not be so dedicated to joining his military simply to have the chance to mine for diamonds. You hinted you knew something a little more about him, and he wanted to confirm.

“What else have you heard?” he questioned curiously.

“About the rumour-that’s-not-supposed-to-even-be-a-rumour rumour?” you clarified. “I like to dig. And when I do, I come across some truly interesting findings. For instance, if a group of highly skilled and disciplined warriors managed to execute purges at critical points in history targeting corruption and perversion, then—well. I think the world would have taken notice and done something about it. But since you operate in the shadows, you go undetected. And you remain nothing more than an intriguing myth.”

Bane blinked at you once, hummed to himself, then strode past you. You were immediately confused and turned around to stare at his retreating back. He stopped at the door, and spoke once more before departing.

“You stay. For now.”

And with that, he opened the door and left, leaving you with a smile on your face and a new resolve in your heart.


	2. Finality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the dramatic.

As you had predicted, you became very useful to Bane indeed.

In the beginning, he kept a close eye on you because you had double-crossed your agency and did not want any liabilities dragging the League down. But he soon came to realize that he had no reason to worry about you at all.

You performed every one of his requests to near perfection. You got in and out without any errors nor complications. You lived up to your promise of seducing and eliminating targets without any backtalk or doubts. Bane once gave you an extremely outlandish mission and you didn’t even blink. Whatever Bane asked of you, you did so without question.

Despite committing atrocities, you still maintained some of your humanity. When you were given the chance, you helped children and infants escape with their mothers a country over so they could be away from the danger; and because you knew they didn’t deserve to live in such a place where executions and corruption were commonplace. Sometimes you were given the opportunity to save lives, and other times you had to deliver the executions yourself. Nevertheless, no matter how you felt, it was all for the good of the cause.

And what a cause it was.

Three months into your service with Bane, he confirmed the League of Shadows’ existence and its purpose: targeting places they deemed were the greatest sources of civilization’s corruption and decadence, places that led to suffering and injustice. It sounded so much better explained in Bane’s words. You gained so much more appreciation for him after that. And the cause, of course, which you were honoured to be a part of.

After Bane had accepted you, almost every man was annoyed by your presence, especially Bane’s right-hand man, Barsad. He was the last man you fought at the bottom of the mine and thoroughly embarrassed in front of his leader. Upon learning that, you assumed that you would take Barsad’s position because you defeated him in front of everyone, but Bane did not like to differentiate from the norm and decided to keep Barsad at his side. You assumed it was more of a seniority thing, since Barsad had been with Bane longer than you had. You understood, of course, and did not mention the matter again.

Still. You knew you deserved to have that same respect.

You felt like the new kid at school the day after Bane allowed you into the League. All the men openly stared at you, whispered about you, and judged you. But you did not care what they thought about you. Some of them were petty criminals which you could easily overpower, but others were former soldiers, assassins, and mercenaries. You could fight worth the best of them, and deep down, you knew that they knew it.

Since demonstrating your numerous skills and providing Bane with powerful knowledge, Bane felt no need to train you like he did the others. You were already a master of deception and theatricality. Selecting you for special training would most likely come off in a negative light for the other men; seeing you receive special training that they did not have the honour of experiencing would piss them off and make them dislike you more. But with you, it was not about likeness, but about performance.

And it was because of your remarkable performance that Bane allowed you the honour of meeting the true brain and leader behind the League of Shadows: Talia al Ghul.

The absolute shock and amazement you felt at that very moment was enough to knock you off-balance. Literally. You nearly fell over when you first met Talia. Being in her presence was like meeting royalty. Your eyes were wide and you were speechless. You never thought that the real puppeteer was a woman as brilliant and beautiful as her.

Bane was greatly amused by your reaction, but he did not show it as much as Talia did. She smiled at you, and your heart nearly stopped. The whole time she was explaining the history behind the League, you were trying not to get distracted by her elegance and power. When she finished talking, you had no response. You nodded as if you had been listening the whole time, and hoped that she did not ask you to repeat what she had said.

She did not.

You spoke with her in private, at her request. You noticed immediately the way she and Bane looked at each other, and boldly questioned her about it. She smiled sadly and explained their backstory, which indefinitely made your tarnished heart melt. You did not think that Bane had the capability of being… kind. You wished he would show it more often, but considering the life he was forced to live and the mission he had to complete, he had absolutely no reason to demonstrate a softer side. Still. You hoped.

After recovering from hearing the origin story of Bane and Talia, Talia informed you of the League’s new objective: to annihilate the city of Gotham. You understood the appeal. Gotham was riddled with corruption and injustice. You did not agree at all with the Dent Act, and thought that it would be repealed. Apparently not. The people of Gotham were living under a lie, and the League deemed it time to do something about it.

Apart from enlightening you about the League as a whole, Talia expressed her deep appreciation for your inclusion in the plan. You were flattered, of course, and thought to show it to her. You felt so much more open with her around, and it was obviously because she was a woman. And intelligent, daring women such as yourselves got along remarkably together.

However, you were disappointed that Talia would not be staying for the remainder of the mission, but she had her own critical role to attend to. You bid her farewell when the time came, and kept her safety in your thoughts as you watched the chopper fly away towards the airport. You had only spent a few days with Talia, but you knew that there was no other person capable of completing the task she had appointed to herself than her.

After the chopper disappeared from your sight, you returned to the compound to receive new orders from Bane.

He sent you a country over to Turkmenistan to find some new recruits. He had already given his personal farewell to Talia minutes before you watched her depart. He wanted to get back into the groove of things as quickly as possible; he did not have time to miss her.

As you were preparing to leave with a handful of men, Bane suggested that you convince the people to join the cause, and to also be the designated leader of the assignment. You were pleased of course, but you were also suspicious as to why. There was absolutely no problem with you convincing young men to join the League. In fact, you were thrilled that he trusted you to do it instead of Barsad. But as per usual, the reasoning behind Bane’s decisions left you with questions unanswered and your mind all the more curious.

You obeyed his order nonetheless, since you were not going to turn down the opportunity to let your qualities shine and have the men at your mercy. Commanding the others was just an added bonus; your authority meant more to you than them. You left at 0600 hours and intended to fulfill the mission swiftly and efficiently. It was a long drive and not without being exasperated at some points with how the men were behaving and complaining. But you shoved your boot in their mouths and they shut up about whatever qualms they were having.

Just like you planned, you executed your assignment without much trouble. The men you found were in their twenties and beyond, and they were all looking to join a righteous cause and unleash their vengeance upon the world. Your oratory rivaled Bane’s with the way you spoke to the lot of them. You hit personal points with them to lure them in, and when they became rowdy, you knew you had them hooked. Before they set out back to the base in Uzbekistan, you inspected each of them so there would be no surprises. The last thing you needed was an unexpected retaliation for your kindness.

All the men were cleared however, including two seventeen–year-old boys. Skeptical of their motivations, you questioned them longer as the others climbed into the artillery trucks to head back to the base. Their explanations meant next to nothing when their eyes said it all. They were ready to fight, and ready to die for what they believed in. You allowed them onto the trucks and began heading back.

The men were all brought back safely to the compound, exhausted but raring to go. Bane was especially pleased with what you managed to round up, and put you in charge of training them. You grinned widely at him and poked fun, saying that you were definitely his favourite. He did not respond.

All in all, you trained the recruits and pushed them to their limits, most specifically the two boys that came along, whose names were Ishmael and Donal. They were the most eager of the bunch, and wanted as much time as possible with you. You loved their enthusiasm, and happily obliged to their wishes.

You taught them how to shoot, how to conceal their body, how to lie, and most importantly, how to fight. They were talented in every aspect, and had great potential. And just like you, their favourite pastime was sparring. It gave them the opportunity to show off what they had learned and skills they honed over weeks of practice.

It was definitely all fun and games whenever you fought them both at once. Making them run into each other, hit each other instead of you, and having them trip over their feet. Being with them was one of the only times you allowed yourself to laugh and let go. You wanted to preserve what humanity they had left, because not everyday was meant for pillaging and moving the League’s mission along; some days, rest was required.

You were fooling around with Ishmael and Donal one day when they changed pace and came at you seriously. You adapted promptly to their attacks, switching between being defensive and going on the offensive. It was a wonderful dance between the three of you, and it drew a crowd. The other men stopped what they were doing to see how the youngest recruits fared against what they considered to be Bane’s third-in-command.

You were proud of their performance, especially when they worked together to catch you off-guard. Ishmael went for your legs while Donal grabbed your arms. They got you on the ground, but even then, you escaped from their trap. The men began shouting to egg the two boys on, and nothing would satisfy them more than witnessing your defeat. But by then, most of them had given you the respect you deserved, and just wanted to see you fall on your ass for once since none of them had be able to do so.

The battle lasted for seven minutes straight. All three of you were on the brink of collapse, each trying to catch your breath. You thought about letting them take you down, but there was no fun in that, and they wouldn’t learn anything. So instead, you punched and kicked at them with all your might, and flipped them when possible. When it came to a life-or-death battle, everything was allowed, including the cheap shots. In your case however, you got the job done without resorting to using such tactics.

But Ishmael and Donal were trained by the best. Donal held you in a rear naked choke while you were on your feet, and you fell back onto the ground to escape it. Ishmael went for your legs, but you violently kicked him away, resulting in a bloody nose. After slipping out of Donal’s grasp, you delivered multiple elbows to his ribs which had him keeling in pain, but he still did not surrender. He kicked your legs when you went to stand up, allowing Ishmael to trap you in a simple headlock. However, you took advantage of Donal’s grip on your legs to pull him forward and begin choking him with your thighs. You brought Ishmael down to the ground and ensnared him in a heel hook.

Just when Ishmael and Donal thought they had you ready to tap out, you turned the tables on them and had them both choking and begging for release. Donal’s head was ready to pop off his shoulders, and Ishmael’s leg was ready to snap. The men kept shouting at the boys to finish you off, but you had them. You squeezed and squeezed until finally, the boys tapped their fingers on your body. The men groaned in dissatisfaction, throwing their hands in the air at the scene before them. Ishmael and Donal caught their breath while you began laughing.

“Better luck next time, guys!”

You sat up and helped the boys to their feet before ruffling their hair affectionately and pushing them around. They did the same back, and accepted their defeat.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” you said. “Ishmael, get your nose looked at. And Donal, never underestimate the power of someone’s legs.”

They both gave you a salute and a cheery “yes ma’am,” before going back inside the compound. You watched them buddy around with each other with a smile on your face, but the moment soon passed. Your smile fell and your aura of love melted away. Your shoulders slumped with a heavy sigh. Deep down, you knew it was wrong to bring Ishmael and Donal into the League’s affairs, but they made their choice. It was out of your hands.

Groaning in displeasure from your feeble way of thinking, you strode back into the compound to see that your boys were behaving themselves.

Unbeknownst to you, Bane witnessed the entire encounter.

* * *

In the months that passed, you and Bane had been meticulously observing each other.

Bane watched you when you were with the recruits, when you were giving a briefing, and when you were giving him a report. Sparring, sitting, and sometimes even sleeping, he watched you. He did not know why. His fascination with you began the moment you showed up on his doorstep, all high and mighty and definitely cheeky. But also broken, vulnerable, and meagre. The powerful and tough façade you put on for everyone amused him greatly, mostly because you were in fact tough and powerful. His other men respected you, and that meant a lot coming from former mercenaries and soldiers. If there was no respect, there was no order.

He knew that you respected him, without a doubt. But despite his incredible observation skills, he failed to notice that you were looking at him the same way he was looking at you.

At times, you had the privilege to ogle Bane when he was not directly looking in your general direction. You could not deny that the man had many talents, but you were not certain if he knew that one of those talents was the ability to rock you to your core by just gazing at him.

The way he swaggered when he walked, the way he spoke to his men in that commanding tone, the way that his arms looked without that heavy coat on, the way that his hands gripped his vest. At times you found yourself daydreaming about Bane when you should have been listening to the debriefing session before heading out. Other times, your blood boiled ecstatically when you went to see him. You were no fool, and neither was your heart.

Not that you would act on those urges.

Unless he wanted to.

Bane had his plate full every damn day, so you figured he had no time to dawdle in pleasuring the human body. What he did on his downtime was no concern to you, but after spending nearly a year with him… your mind began to wander. Maybe perhaps, almost a little too far.

You let your eyes linger on him, and you even gave him a once-over just to be brazen. He made no comment on the matter, since he did not think there was one. His cluelessness brought out your mischievous side.

At ample opportunities, you teased him when it was appropriate. Nothing serious enough to raise alarms, of course, but just a taste to see if he would notice. Bending over too long, changing your shirt, touching his fingers when you hand him a report, even smiling more. You tried everything to see if there was any change in his breathing, his eyes, his walk, the strange wiggle of his fingers every now and then. But you saw nothing. It was significantly disappointing, so you gave up on baiting yourself and just focused on the tasks that you were appointed with.

Luckily for you, Bane did notice. After connecting the dots.

Just as how you gazed at Bane with something more than just admiration, he looked upon you with such tenderness in his eyes that he didn’t even know was capable. You were certainly the bounciest recruit he’d ever have, and will have. The way you made the other men joke around and let loose was risky in his opinion, but it also had its advantages. Everyone looked at him with less fear in their eyes, because even though they were horsing around, they knew that Bane wouldn’t be so harsh with you present.

Knowing that he gave you that kind of power kind of… turned him on.

He chastised himself however, since even the thought of engaging in sexual acts with one of his followers was dangerous. The only time Bane accepted his feelings was with Talia, and he wanted to protect her until his dying days. However, loving Talia was vastly differently than loving you—or rather, entering a comrades-with-benefits relationship with you. He had to admit that he had a lot of pent up tension that needed to be released. He ignored those urges simply because it was a distraction from his task.

Mayhap, not anymore.

Granted, everyone deserved breaks, even a fearsome domestic terrorist like Bane. And rarely, those breaks included releasing a great amount of dopamine by pleasuring himself. Fighting was his main source of gratification, and the urge to reduce himself to a hormonal teenage boy was dissipated. But you were getting under his skin. Too much for his liking.

Fortunately for him, he had a great deal of self-control.

However, that self-control would be tested within due time.

* * *

Three more months passed, and the League’s plan was at a critical juncture.

The intel received from Talia explained that Bruce Wayne had made a fusion reactor that would supply Gotham City with clean energy. But he had abandoned the project when he learned it could be weaponized.

Which is where Bane came in.

He intended to capture a one Dr. Leonid Pavel, a Russian nuclear physicist. His location was secured in Uzbekistan, a few miles away from the compound. He would be the one that would transform Bruce Wayne’s precious reactor into a nuclear bomb. John Daggett was tightly wound around Bane’s calculating finger, and the plan was nearing completion.

The first step in getting Dr. Pavel on board was to persuade him into converting the reactor. And if that did not work, threatening his children was the next best option. That usually was enough to encourage men to commit criminal acts. After that, the League would travel to Gotham City to begin their reckoning.

Unfortunately, you had no part in it.

When the day came, you remained at the compound, in command. It ticked you off that you wouldn’t be joining Bane on the excursion, but being in charge of the compound wasn’t half-bad either. But it was not your first choice.

You strode around the place with your assault rifle slung around your shoulder. The men gave you respectable nods and friendly greetings. You observed the training regimens, listened to reports, and even did inventory of all the ammunition in the armoury. Bane would not return until the next morning, so you had to keep yourself busy. And you realized that commanding the compound was the most boring thing ever. The only highlight of your waking day was Ishmael and Donal. But even then, they could not fill the void in your chest.

You knew that you did not having conventional feelings for your leader, if they were feelings at all. Perhaps they were just urges from being in his presence for so long. He had a strange sense of charisma, and it drew you in the moment you met him. The word “relationship” was in neither yours, nor Bane’s vernacular. It had as much meaning and significance as the dirt beneath your feet. The only true relationship that Bane had was with Talia, but you? You had no one. Nothing. It didn’t bother you at all.

But a good fuck couldn’t hurt every now and again. And you were no closer to that than gaining Bane’s undivided attention. Because the only person you wanted to be pleasured by was him.

Instead of wallowing in your inability to score, you headed down to the shooting range with Ishmael, Donal, and a handful of other men to get your mind off things.

Nineteen hours later, Bane returned from his expedition, unscathed but empty-handed. He did not manage to bring back Dr. Pavel, but he had another brilliant idea in mind. When he relayed it to you, you could not deny that you were titillated by his intelligence.

And you could also not deny that you were overjoyed at his return.

The new operation would take place two days hence, and, to your utmost delight, you would have a crucial role in it.

Everything was falling perfectly into place.

* * *

You could barely sleep the night before carrying out the abduction of Dr. Pavel. In fact, you hardly slept at all. The most you got was two hours at most, and the rest of your time was spent walking aimlessly around the compound. And turned out, Bane wasn’t much for sleep either that night either.

You two came across paths in the armoury. You were double-checking that none of the assault rifles were damaged, but your eyes just glazed over them. You were really mumbling to yourself about the mission, going over the details of the plan, and how satisfied you’d be to possibly gloat in the face of your former superior officer. Bane stumbled upon you when he heard you speaking nonsense. You felt his presence, but it didn’t stop you from reviewing the morning’s outcome.

He simply approached you and took the rifle from your hands, putting it back in its spot. Then he told you to go back to sleep. You stopped muttering to yourself, nodded once without looking at him, then turned on your heel and left the basement, back to your room. Bane didn’t think anything of it. He knew you were not afraid of what was to come, and did not think twice about removing you from your role. You did not get cold feet.

You just got excited.

You may have returned to your room, but you did not go back to sleep. You sat on your bed, hands folded in your lap. The whole night, you fantasized about what expressions Bill Wilson would make when he saw you working on Bane’s command. Surprise, shock, betrayal, anger, resentment… you simply could not pick one. It did not matter in the end, since he would die anyway. And that gave you the greatest sense of satisfaction.

And five hours later, the hunt began.

Dr. Pavel had contacted the CIA and begged for them to escort him back to his home. They obliged, and had a plane at the ready for him. Unfortunately for him, he would not be returning home, nor would he be alone.

Bane was accompanied by you, Barsad, and two other men on the way to Dr. Pavel to take him by force. His idea was clever indeed, and utterly foolproof. None of you spoke the entire journey, and you were dead set on getting everything right. All you had to do really was stay quiet until Bane gave the signal. And survive after that.

Capturing Dr. Pavel was easy enough. He was certainly expecting to be in Bane’s presence once again, and when he rolled up to his current residence, he complied without making a fuss. He was terrified, of course, for himself and for his children. He really had no choice nor say in the matter.

After he was collected, you, Bane, and one of the other men were blinded with black hoods and had your wrists bound by zip ties. Together, the three of you were squished into the backseat of a beaten van with Barsad as the driver. Two other men sat with their guns pointed at the three of you, while Dr. Pavel was in the passenger’s seat. The drive to the airstrip was silent, and tense.

For Dr. Pavel, anyway.

An hour later, the van finally came to a halt. Barsad killed the engine and got out first, followed by Dr. Pavel and the three “prisoners”. Barsad and the others posed as local militia, tasked with delivering Dr. Pavel into CIA custody safely. You pressed your mouth into a thin line when you heard the CIA operative—Bill Wilson—speak.

“Dr. Pavel, I’m CIA.”

“He wasn’t alone,” Barsad said.

“You don’t get to bring friends,” Bill said.

“They are not my friends,” Dr. Pavel said hardly.

“Don’t worry,” Barsad reassured Bill. “No charge for them.”

“And why would I want them?”

“They were trying to grab your prize. They work for the mercenary. The masked man.”

“Bane?”

Barsad nodded. You smirked under your hood when you heard the excitement in Bill’s voice at the mention of Bane. Bill motioned to the Special Forces behind him.

“Get ‘em on board. I’ll call it in.”

The Special Forces pushed the three of you forward and onto the commuter plane, then forced you on your knees. They stood behind you as a precaution, and were unarmed. Only two men carried guns on board, and that was Bill and a different Special Forces officer. The plane took off a few minutes later, and Bill stalled asking questions until the plane was at optimum altitude.

“The flight plan I just filed with the agency lists me, my men, and Dr. Pavel here.” He paused to cock his gun. “But only one of you.”

He signalled one of his men to open the cargo door. The howling wind rushed through the fuselage, making it harder to breathe.

“First one to talk gets to stay on my aircraft!” Bill shouted. The soldier standing behind you stepped forward and grabbed you by your shoulders, then hung your head out the cargo door. Bill knelt down and pointed his gun at you. “Who paid you to grab Dr. Pavel?!”

You did not answer. You were grinning like a fox underneath your hood, and choked back a giggle when Bill threatened you. But you kept your mouth shut. Bill fired his gun out the door, and the soldier quietly dragged you back.

“She didn’t fly so good!” Bill said, pretending to have shot you. “Who wants to try next?!” Bill then pointed at the third man with you and Bane, and he remained silent as the soldier dragged him forward instead.

“Tell me about Bane! Why does he wear the mask?!”

The man did not answer either. You heard Bill cock his gun again as he shoved it against the man’s head.

“Lot of loyalty for a hired gun!”

“Or perhaps he’s wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of a plane,” Bane surmised.

The soldier pulled the man back inside to join you while Bane and Bill had a conversation of their own.

“At least you can talk!” Bill said. One of the soldiers closed the cargo door. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter who we are,” Bane replied. “What matters is our plan.”

Bill knelt down in front of Bane and slowly pulled off his hood. You could hear Bane’s mechanical breaths.

“No one cared who I was ‘til I put on the mask.”

“If I pull that off will you die?” Bill asked upon seeing Bane’s breathing apparatus.

“It would be extremely painful.”

“You’re a big guy—“

“For you.”

“Was getting caught part of your plan?”

“Of course. Dr. Pavel refused our offer in favour of yours. We had to find out what he told you.”

“Nothing! I said nothing!” Dr. Pavel defended.

Overhead, a heavy bass tone was rising. Your grin remained ever present as the transport plane for Bane loomed over the commuter, dangerously close, ready to attack. The plane lurched as the noise was building.

“Well congratulations,” Bill said, ignoring his surroundings. “You got yourself caught. Now what’s the next step of your master plan?”

“Crashing this plane… with no survivors!”

Just then, Bane stood up and easily broke free of his restraints. The ramp of the transport opened, and four of Bane’s men leapt out on tethers. They dropped towards the commuter plane, with two on each side. Together they shot out the windows, killing two of the Special Forces men.

You reacted to the signal rapidly, sitting up and removing your hood and easily breaking free of your zip ties as well. The men outside the plane attached grapples to the fuselage as you stood up and knocked out the two other Special Forces men without much resistance. You made eye contact with Bill and waved at him just before Bane snapped his neck.

His look of being betrayed was priceless.

When the tail of the plane lifted up unnaturally, you jumped down on the back of a seat, and held on for your life. The plane vibrated violently as it tore itself apart, and the soldiers tumbled down to the cockpit door with a thud. Bane held on to the back of the seat you were standing on, then jumped down next to Dr. Pavel.

The tail of the plane exploded, taking with it the rear door of the cabin. Bane’s men dropped through the smoke on cables. A body bag was lowered into the cabin, and you laid it onto the back of the seats. You unzipped the bag, revealing a man the same age and build as Dr. Pavel. Attached to him was surgical tubing. Bane stood between the body and Dr. Pavel, taking the latter’s arm and pushing the needle inside. You started chest compressions on the cadaver as Bane watched the blood transfusion.

At the same time, one of the men from the transporter plane attached a cable around your waist and lifted you out of the cabin to safety. You heard Dr. Pavel’s horrified screams echo throughout the wrecked commuter as you were hoisted away.

You stood at the ramp of the transport as you watched Bane and Dr. Pavel dangle in the air as the commuter dropped down to the mountain peaks. You shook your head in amazement as the men dragged the two of them back inside.

Mission complete.

You sat down on the stretched bench of the transport as Bane unclipped himself and Dr. Pavel. You crossed your arms over your chest and your leg over you knee.

“Welcome aboard, doctor,” you greeted, blowing the hair from your face. “We hope you enjoy your stay.”

You noticed that the other man that was with you and Bane did not make it back to the transport. You huffed a laugh.

Better him than me, you thought.

You happily bounced your foot around as Bane untangled himself from Dr. Pavel and sat down in his own seat on the bench across from yours. A gigantic smile spread across your face as you glanced in his direction. He stared right back at you, but when you looked away, a tiny smirk ghosted his lips as he checked you out with hungry eyes. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind to save them for later. At that moment, he focused on safeguarding Dr. Pavel in the League’s secondary compound location.

During the ride there, you looked out the window, gazing at the beautiful mountainside, fantasizing about freefalling to the grassy plains below, just to parachute at the last second. Your heart raced at the thought of feeling the wind wrap around your body as you twirled towards the earth, the goosebumps rising on your skin, and the pure ecstasy of being fearless. You bit your lip and groaned in your seat before laying down and taking a little nap. Bane was more than capable of handling Dr. Pavel by his presence alone; your help was not needed. And since Bane himself did not protest, he simply left you be.

* * *

As the transport roamed near the landing strip of the new compound in Azerbaijan, Bane forced Dr. Pavel on his feet to prepare him for the descent. Bane didn’t care about his comfort, and was confident that he got the message. Dr. Pavel followed Bane’s silent order and stood with his arms hugging himself. At the same time, you stretched your legs before standing up and grabbing one of the parachutes hanging on the wall. You strapped yourself in tightly and headed for the ram door. Bane’s hand caught your shoulder.

“There’s no need for that,” he said. You looked from his hand to his face, then smirked.

“What’s a better way to celebrate a successful day?” you questioned.

“Other than jumping from a plane?” he asked.

“There’s nothing,” you replied. “Open the door.”

Bane turned his head but kept his eyes on you as he nodded at one of his men to opening the door ramp. Within a few seconds, the powerful wind blew through the cabin of the transport. You kept your intense eye contact with Bane as you started backing away, his hand slipping from your shoulder. You raised your hand to salute him.

“See you on the other s—“

Your sentence got cut short and instead turned into a joyous scream as you descended from the plane. You spread your arms wide and laughed hysterically as you fell to the ground below. Up above, Bane chuckled lowly to himself as the ramp closed.

You pulled the chute a little later than usual since you didn’t want the beautiful freefall to end. But you couldn’t plunge yourself into the earth and end your life just like that; not when it was so valuable. You kicked your feet like an excited child as you overlooked the compound and enjoyed the wind in your face. You could see the men wandering around, baring their arms without a care in the world. You took hold of the handles as you neared the ground to direct yourself to a desirable landing site.

Unfortunately, the wind had other plans.

A sudden gust veered the chute to the left, and you yelped in surprise. The men below watched you struggle to steer back to the right, but it wasn’t working. The wind was too strong, so you let it take course. However, it decided to float you over to a sizeable morass a mile away. You didn’t fight your fate as you sunk into the muddy, wet earth with no resistance. Up to your knees was soaked, and the parachute landed gently on top. You tried tugging at it, but it collected too much water. Sighing, you unclipped yourself from the harness and left it there. Parachutes were a dime a dozen.

You trudged your way back to the compound, but not without tripping a few times and covering yourself in mud. As soon as you came into view of everyone else, they were not afraid to laugh at you.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” you muttered, waving them off. You flicked bits of mud and water at them when they wouldn’t shut up. But they kept on laughing. You shrugged them off and kept walking, and then you saw Bane, standing at the entrance of the compound, with his arms crossed. You strode up to him with a sheepish smile. You were going to say something witty, but he beat you to it.

“Inside,” he said with a nod of his head. “Two lefts and a right, end of the hall. Behind the left bookshelf. Clean yourself off.”

Your lips parted in surprise at his request. Or rather, demand. He had never asked you to take a shower before, mostly because you did well enough keeping up on your hygiene. You were planning on bathing anyway, but having Bane tell you to seemed… suspicious. Nonetheless, you turned on your heel without question and disappeared inside, giving him a glance over your shoulder.

You followed his directions to a tee, and when you opened the double doors, you thought you had wandered into the wrong room. Inside was a vast study, furnished with five bookshelves, a small seating area, and a desk. You looked down at the expensive looking artisan rugs and clicked your tongue.

Better not get these dirty, you thought.

You kicked off your muddy shoes and shoved them off to the side, outside of the room. You stepped in and closed the doors behind you, then crept over to the hidden door behind the bookshelf to your left. You pulled it out and turned the knob of the door, then slipped inside.

You jaw dropped at what you had walked into.

“Is this…”

You let your thought drift off into nothing as you stood inside what appeared to be Bane’s bedroom. There was a bed straight ahead against the back of the wall, with two floor-to-ceiling windows on the either side. To the right was a six-drawer dresser, and beside that was a single French door that led to the bathroom. What struck you as odd was the fact that his entire room was white, including the bathroom. It was built with modern features, complete with a separate bathtub and shower.

“What the fuck, Bane.”

You slid into the bathroom when you realized you had been dripping mud all over the floor. You cursed to yourself and took another minute to bathe in your surroundings. You did not expect Bane to be such a clean freak. Or have taste in so much white.

“Guess the best can afford the best. And do whatever the hell they want.”

He told you to clean up, so that’s what you were going to do, no matter how wrong and awkward it felt. You stripped out of your clothes and let them drop to the floor. There was no way to avoid dirtying Bane’s floor, but you tried to keep it to a minimum. Turning on the shower, you waited for the water to get warm before stepping inside the glass enclosure.

Along with his modern tastes, Bane also liked to have the least amount of belongings possible. On a single shelf in the shower was a bar of soap. He obviously had no use for hair products, but you had hoped he’d at least have a two-in-one.

You spent a good half hour cleaning yourself up, watching the mud and dirt wash away in the drain. You also brainstormed possible reasons why Bane deliberately sent you to his own bathroom to wash off:

1\. For his own personal amusement  
2\. He had the best shower in the whole compound and wanted you to be as clean as possible  
3\. He had ulterior motives

That last point made you laugh. If Bane had ulterior motives for ordering you to his room you would have known. He was the type of guy to play mind games and pick apart your brain for the thrill of it. He didn’t want anything else other than the pleasure of making you groan in frustration from—

Your hands stilled in your hair as your mind drifted to a more daring train of thought.

You giggled gleefully.

The mere thought of Bane being physical with someone other than in a fight was enough to make you laugh. On the other hand, was it really such a ridiculous idea?

Shutting the water off, you slowly opened the shower door and peeked outside. Glancing at the vanity, you frowned.

“Dammit. Forgot a towel.”

You squeezed out your hair before tiptoeing across the marble floor to search for a towel. But every cabinet you opened you found nothing. They were all empty. You shook your head in annoyance and wiped the steam from the vanity mirror. You felt so exposed standing naked in Bane’s bathroom with nothing to cover yourself with. Not even a shower curtain.

You gazed longingly at yourself in the mirror with an unsatisfactory expression. Ever since your capture on your last CIA assignment, you had never liked looking at yourself in the mirror anymore. Staring at yourself for too long caused you to think too much and sent you in a downwards spiral. But you never showed that it got to you.

You turned around and gingerly ghosted your fingers over the brand on your back. It was the shape of your former target’s family name written in hanzi: Wang ( **王** ). Angered upon seeing it, you spat at the mirror so it distorted your view. Then you quickly wiped the mess away and took a deep breath to relax.

When you opened your eyes, you spotted a single white towel folded neatly on a rack at the opposite end of the room. You groaned at your own stupidity and quickly wrapped it around yourself. There was a small, quiet click on the other side of the bathroom door that made your heart skip a beat. You stood up straight and built up your nerve. You were far too jittery and had a reputation to uphold. You had just jumped out of an airplane not even an hour before; you couldn’t weaken your image by getting spooked from minor sounds.

Gripping the doorknob, you pulled the door wide open. And there, standing as if he was waiting for you, was Bane.

Strangely, you relaxed more when you saw him, even though you were stark naked. Neither of you could look away from each other, and your palms became sweaty. You had no idea what to say to him without it sounding incredibly awkward. Nonetheless, you walked out of the bathroom, clutching the towel tightly around you. You tried to think of something clever to say to diffuse the tension, but you couldn’t rid your mind of how good he looked in black and camo. His shirt hugged his arms firmly, and you dug your nails into your arm to prevent yourself from whimpering at the sight. But Bane noticed your shift in demeanor.

The second he moved forward you cast your eyes downward. He stopped right in front of you, and it became increasingly difficult to resist him. You couldn’t hide yourself anywhere, but the desire in your eyes was indisputable. The eyes were the window to the soul, and in your soul, Bane saw that you wanted him.

Eventually you had to acknowledge him, so you tilted your head back to look him in the eyes. You drew in a deep breath to calm your nerves, but your heart was beating too fast. You were sure it was going to burst out of your ribcage; and if that didn’t work, you would throw it up. You were sure that he could see your chest pulsating with anxiety.

Then he stepped to the side, and you casted your eyes down again. He raised his hand, and traced the scar on your back. A shiver went down your spine, and your shoulder tensed. He glanced at the back of your head before moving your hair out of the way and pulling the back of your towel down. You let him do so, and covered your chest with your arm. Closing your eyes, you allowed Bane to keep outlining your brand with his hand.

He went on for what felt like hour, just touching your back so softly and gently. You didn’t think he had such an interest in touching other people’s battle scars. But soon enough he pulled away after he had his fill, and gazed down at you instead. You opened your eyes again and once more looked up at him. It took a minute for you to find your voice, and when you did, it was tiny.

“Now show me yours.”

He did not like the sound of that, and you could tell. His brows furrowed together and he sighed heavily.

“I know it’s there,” you said. “It starts at the top of your neck and travels down your spine. I’ve shown you mine. You owe me the courtesy.”

Your stare curved into a glower to challenge him. You were not afraid of him, and he knew that. At that moment, you were just being bold again. He liked that. He took a step back with his arms at his sides. You turned to face him, and fixed your towel before crossing your arms. He wiggled his fingers as he thought about it. His men had seen him shirtless plenty of times, but never you. And definitely not in a situation like the one he was in with you. With a huff of his chest, he raised his arms and tugged his shirt off over his head and tossed it on the floor.

Your expression softened when he complied.

You copied his previous movements, stepping around to his side. You stood right behind him and observed the surgical scar along the length of his spine. It was much different seeing Bane without his back brace, and you wondered how his body felt when he was forced to leave it behind. The same thing with his arm brace as well; would his wrist snap if he as so much bent it the wrong way? You never thought about it when you were abducting Dr. Pavel, but an unusual amount of stress was put on Bane’s body that day. Hanging onto the seats, twisting his back unnaturally… you pondered what it did to his body, and if it hurt him in any way.

You stretched your hand up to the base of his neck, and felt the raised skin in that area before moving your hand down lower and lower. Your hand may have been on his back, but your eyes were watching his body movements. He wiggled his fingers in the way that he did, his shoulders tensed faintly, and his breaths became strained.

No one’s ever touched him like this before, you thought.

Speculating about what could have caused the scar, you lightly raked your nails along his skin to see if he would react. His body stilled, and you heard the tiniest gasp escape his mouth. You bit your lip. Your hand shook as it hovered around his waist. You took the chance, planting your hand there and squeezing. His right hand slapped down on top of yours and spun you around against his chest, leaving you breathless. Your towel slipped again, but being pulled flush against his skin kept it in place.

You breathed heavily with excitement. And Bane could see it in your eyes.

Your gaze lingered on Bane’s hand grasping yours. You loved nothing more than a man’s hands, especially Bane’s. The way they held reports, the way they shook whenever Bane did his calisthenics exercises, and occasionally when they wrapped around a man’s throat and choked him to death. Either way, his hands were perfect. And for executing such brutal and physical tasks, Bane’s hands were surprisingly soft.

The image of your hands together blurred from your vision as your focus moved behind them, to Bane’s chest. Also, surprisingly soft, from just looking at it. You licked your lips instinctively, and at the same time, Bane twirled a strand of your damp hair around his finger. The action made you sigh quietly and tilt your head towards his hand.

Neither of you knew how to start what you both have wanted for so many months. You were already fully naked, save for the towel covering what was left of your decency. Bane was halfway there, but you doubted he would go any further. In your opinion, he was definitely a pants-on kind of guy during sex. Not that you minded. Having him wholly is what you wanted, so what state of dress he was in did not matter.

Usually, a simple kiss turned from sweet to hot began almost every sexual encounter. But it was not possible in Bane’s case. However, you had more to kiss than just his lips. You didn’t think Bane would make the first definitive move, so you did so yourself. You brought your coupled hands to your mouth, and kissed the back of his hand.

His finger stopped twirling your hair.

He lowered his chin more to properly look you in the eye, without authority. His eyes softened on the way down, and you gave him a small smile in return. His chest rose and fell in one last anxious exhale before he tightened his grip around your hand and led you over to his bed, pushing you down on your back. He loomed over you, but not in a menacing way; more of in an apprehensive manner.

Letting go of your hand, Bane planted his hands on either side of your head. Having him up-close and personal allowed you to see something captivating about his eyes: his pupils dilated when he looked at you. When he glanced down at your towel and then back to your eyes, you saw it. Clear as day.

You knew exactly what that meant.

For being a woman so versatile in her line of work, your chest tightened at the thought of Bane touching you. You had never been so nervous in your life. You had taken on multiple johns before, some even two or three at a time. But taking on Bane would be the biggest feat of them all.

As you stared into his eyes, you made your decision: you would not look away from him. Not once. Not to see what you were doing, not to look at another part of his body (no matter how much you wanted to), nothing. You had a feeling that it was Bane’s first time making such a connection with another person in such a way. At first glance, he appeared to be the type of man to have any woman he wanted whenever he wanted, but underneath his terrifying shell was a simple man, forcibly severed from a normal life.

You intended to give him an experience he would never forget.

Once more, you made the first move. You took his hand in yours and placed it on top of your thigh. He glanced down at it, but you used your other hand to tilt his chin up to look at you again. You gave him a look that said “keep your eyes on me”. And that is what he did.

He snuck his hand up your towel and circled his fingers along your hip. You stilled your body to let him have free range of you. And when he moved his hand to his desired destination, your breath got caught in your throat. Your gaze never swayed, however.

Bane took sweet pleasure at your flailing attempts to keep your composure. He felt the twitch of the leg and saw your eyes widen. Both of your hands gripped the sheets, and your breaths became deeper. You spread your legs wider for him and pushed yourself farther up on the bed. He knelt on the bed and gained some more confidence in himself. The assertive look in his eyes came back as he fingered you with more ferocity.

You cleared your throat but remained eye contact with him. You throbbed in pleasure and anticipation, but you wanted more. Slowly, your nerves calmed and your self-assurance built itself back up. You rolled your hips against his hand and clenched the sheets. Bane took that as a sign to untuck your towel and expose you.

Cool air rushed over your body, and goosebumps raised on your skin. You bit down on your lip hardly, and you swore Bane was smiling. The mask may have covered his face, but the crinkles around his eyes were unmistakable. You were not embarrassed to be seen by him anymore. Your body was hot and cold at the same time, and you were positive Bane knew it.

He caressed your chest, rolling his thumb over your nipple and squeezing lightly. You gave him a cheeky smirk, and in retaliation he added a third finger inside you to stretch you thoroughly. You groaned in satisfaction and hung your head back. He gripped the back of your neck and forced you to look at him. You mentally slapped yourself for breaking eye contact with him, but bringing out his dominance wasn’t such a bad thing either.

Cocking your head curiously, you wondered if he would let you touch him again. His body must have been reacting from pleasuring you, and you wanted to see what you could do. Sitting up a little higher, you brought your hand forward and grabbed Bane’s belt. He stopped his movements on you momentarily, and raised a brow at you. You waited for him to protest your action, but he didn’t say a word. So, you kept going.

He removed his fingers from you so you could sit up properly as you undid his belt, still while staring in his eyes. Your heart raced with excitement. Thinking about sucking Bane off was one thing, but actually being able to do it was another. You were skilled in the art of performing sexual acts, so you knew he would be satisfied. You took off his belt, unzipped his pants, and quickly glanced down at his blue boxers before getting to work.

You had a feeling Bane did not want to be teased for too long, but you had the privilege of doing whatever you pleased. He wasn’t about to throw you out because you weren’t going fast enough. He indirectly invited you to his room, so he wanted you to be there. And you were going to take advantage of it.

You palmed him through his boxers first just to get a rise out of him. He put his hand in your hair as an anchor, and to assert himself in moments where he thinks you’re being too defiant. You had no intention of disobeying him or hurting him. You just wanted him.

Tilting your head back all the way to look at him, you blindly pulled down his waistband and started stroking him. He was already semi-hard, and without even without looking, you could tell he had a lot to be proud about. You performed the usual tricks: slow strokes, running your thumb over his slit, more pressure at the base. His face may not have changed, but his cock did all of the talking.

You smiled as he became harder. Bane was a proud man, but despite that, you felt he had no qualms about how long it took for another person to pleasure him completely. You also felt that he never got embarrassed about finishing early; it would all be a part of the game.

But it was your game.

Controlling the pace would definitely test Bane’s patience and whether or not he would overpower you. In your mind, it didn’t matter. He could do whatever he desired, but you wanted to get a few tricks in there yourself.

After stroking him enough to warm him up, you sucked the tip of his cock into your mouth. You swirled your tongue around him, and watched his pupils dilate. You locked him in before going for the kill. In one swift movement, you deep-throated Bane and sped up the pace. His hips rocked forward in surprise and the grip he had in your hair tightened. You heard a single mechanical sigh, and that was good enough for you. You never pegged him as a vocal guy anyhow.

You gripped his hips and paused, opening your jaw wider. You raised a brow at him and waited for him to get the hint. Fixing his grasp in your hair, Bane accepted your invitation. Without a moment’s hesitation, he began face-fucking you. He was gentle at first, to allow you to accommodate to the sensation (despite already knowing that you were familiar with it). Then he went faster and pulled harder until you were choking and he saw the tears in your eyes.

If you did not like what he was doing, he knew you would pull away. But you didn’t. You took it like you did any past job, but this time, you actually liked it. His stomach tightened at the sight beneath him: your naked body sitting on his bed with your mouth at his mercy, open and willing. He couldn’t wait for the main course. And neither could you.

It was hard for you to breathe, but you had gotten so used to it that it didn’t bother you anymore. Seducing men was part of your routine when it was needed; but with Bane, it was a special occasion. There was no one you wanted to pleasure more, nor satisfy. In return, you’d only ask for the same.

Which you knew, of course, Bane would deliver.

Being face-fucked was delicious and made your stomach drop, but your jaw was getting tired, and more importantly, you were getting impatient. Bane was doing an excellent job at making you wet, but you needed more. You craved him, yearned for him, hungered for him. And you wanted him to know it.

During your decision on whether or not to finish him off, Bane roughly pulled himself out of your mouth. You gasped for air and choked, and made no move to wipe the saliva from your chin. Instead you licked your lips and gave him a sultry stare. He was panting too.

Waiting for Bane to lose himself was putting you on edge. You wished for him to dominate you, but you saw he was struggling. Testing his self-control was good and all, but you grew tired of it. So when he didn’t push you on the bed and start to fuck you, you grabbed his hand and shoved his fingers inside you again. You pushed his fingers in to his knuckle, and pressed his thumb on your clit. Clearly he got the message, and roughly began fingering you again.

It only lasted so long, however. He pleasured you enough to get you panting and clenching around him again. He pulled out finally, and pinned your hands above your head with one hand and used the other to throw your leg over his shoulder. He slipped himself inside you and the moan you let out almost made him come.

You stared him down and wrapped your free leg around his thigh to keep him in place. Once you were comfortable and Bane saw no intentions of reluctance in your eyes, he began thrusting.

Being joined with Bane was better than you had ever imagined. You could compare him to dozens of other men you had been with, but none of them sized up to Bane. His pace was better, his hands gentler, and he definitely had more than enough to gratify you. It was difficult to keep your eyes open and trained on Bane because of this.

They fluttered from how good Bane was making you feel. But you forced them open, just to see Bane’s own eyes soften with each passing moment. To the outside world, he was a terrifying menace set out on destroying anything in his path. Behind closed doors, on the other hand, he was terrifying still, but generous, in your experience. Whether or not he cared to admit that he had a soft spot for you did not matter, because you both knew it. Unsaid words were the most powerful of all.

He suddenly became rougher, thrusting faster. His hand was squeezing the life out of your wrists, so you broke yourself free. You placed one on his shoulder, and intertwined the other with his. He blinked at your boldness, but instead of pulling it away, he grasped your fingers as he fucked you with ferocity.

You were panting with your mouth agape, and that was the only thing you could hear. Bane was exceptionally quiet, and you wanted to change that. You were sure he was holding back just to show that he wasn't so affected by sex, but there was more to him than that. You just wanted to hear him gasp and moan.

Clenching around him, rolling your hips, biting your lip, seductive expressions. You did it all, and yet he didn’t make a sound. Not even his steady breaths could be heard; if you thought Bane wasn’t vocal before, you certainly did then. With or without noise, you knew Bane was enjoying himself because with every thrust you could feel him throb.

The leg you had hooked around his knee jerked and you groaned in immense pleasure when he hit just the right spot. Your stomach tingled again, and you could feel your orgasm building. Bane shuddered at your reaction and gave you everything he had to keep hearing your erotic moans. And when you couldn’t take it anymore, you closed your eyes and turned your head to the side as the pleasure took over you. You called out his name which sent him over the edge.

Bane gripped your hand and pushed himself flush against you as he released inside you with a throaty groan. He closed his eyes as the ecstasy flowed through his body, and your body arched into him. Your legs trembled, your heart raced, and your extremities had never felt so good. You thought Bane would have stormed off after finishing, but he stayed; to catch his breath, regain his composure, you didn’t know. But, he stayed.

Opening your eyes, all you saw was the large apparatus of his mask. He was breathing heavily, and you saw his arm shake. Your fingers were nearly numb from holding on so tightly to his hand, but you didn’t let go. It felt so good, so right, for you two to be holding hands. And ever so slowly, Bane loosened his grip but didn’t let go. Feeling brave, you pressed a tender kiss to the tubes of his mask.

It certainly got his attention.

The sound of a kiss caused him to open his eyes and look at you. He found something strange in your eyes, something he had only seen once before: love. The gentleness of your gaze, the innocence of the kiss. He may have hired a lunatic, but underneath all the recklessness and fidelity, there remained a simple woman, falling for the wrong man.

A chuckle escaped him at the realization, but you did not smile in return. You looked at him with more than just love: he was your life. Wherever he went, whatever he did, you would follow him. No matter how crazy the idea or how sinister the intent, you would be there, standing beside him, so he’d know that he would never be alone.

It was difficult to send that kind of message with one look, but you were confident that Bane understood the underlining tone.

Bane couldn’t kiss you back, so he did the next best thing, which was stroke your cheek with the back of his hand. It was your turn to blink in surprise. It was such a shy, sweet gesture, but it meant a lot. You enjoyed the feeling until he eventually pulled away completely. You sighed as he left you, and winced in pain as you lowered your leg off his shoulder to hang off the bed. You stretched your arms and crossed your leg over the other as you felt Bane’s come on the inside of your thigh.

Might need to shower again, you thought.

You watched Bane zip himself back up and pick up his shirt, pulling it back on. He wiggled his fingers, contemplating about what he should do. Technically he could do anything he wanted, but you were in his equation. Your personal feelings would be affected based on what he did or said next. But you ended his broken train of thought with a simple wave of your hand and a go-ahead gesture towards the door. Bane nodded once after accepting your reassurance. He paused at the foot of his bed to give you what one would call a loving gaze. You simply blinked at him like a cat would to show affection. Then, he left the room, closing the door softly. As soon as he was gone, you let out a loud sigh and circled your fingers on your tummy.

Sex with Bane was certainly something to remember, and he was definitely good at it. A solid nine out of ten, but an argument could be made for nine-point-five. You could call it romantic, but it was more vehement. Either way, you both thoroughly enjoyed yourselves, and a new spark in your “relationship” began.

After gathering yourself and shooing away the creeping, sentimental thoughts from your subconscious, you slid off the bed and went to the bathroom to shower once again. You were in and out in a minute, shaking your hair and drying yourself off. You hung up your dirty clothes over the shower door in hopes that they would dry out. You thought about leaving and going about your day, but Bane’s bed was too inviting. If he could fuck you on it, surely he could let you sleep in it.

Without a moment’s hesitation you slithered under the sheets and rubbed your face into the pillows. Your body hadn’t felt so cradled and snug in a long time. An obscene moan escaped your lips, and your body thanked you. Pulling the sheets over your shoulder, you snuggled deep into the mattress and closed your eyes. No one ever remembers when they fall asleep, but you knew for sure that a minute after settling down, you were thrown into your dreams.

* * *

The only indication you were still alive was the steady rise and fall of your shoulders. You were going on nine hours asleep, with no signs of stopping. Bane’s bed was much comfier than your own, so naturally you slept a lot better. If your presence was needed, Bane would have come back and woken you up. But he didn’t. Even without you, the day went on without complications. Granted, you deserved a day off, so Bane let you have it.

He quietly returned when it was nearing midnight. He expected to find you there, and was not surprised when he saw your still naked, sleeping body spread across his mattress with the sheets covering your lower body. He brought you a change of clothes, and set them down on his dresser, then silently approached you, not to wake you, but to look at you. Your hair was mussed from shifting in your sleep, the small pool of saliva signified that you were a drooler, and your skin was cold. He knew that once he traced the branded scar on your back. He pulled the sheets over your shoulders and let you be.

Bane was exhausted and needed to sleep, but he didn’t want to move you. He felt strange sharing a bed with another person, but it was big enough for him to not be able to touch you or wake you. It would only be a one-night thing, so what was the harm? He knew you well enough that you wouldn’t blow anything out of proportion, or think any differently of your relationship with him. The predicament was unprecedented for him, but ultimately, he was fine with it.

Sighing tiredly, he went to his side of the bed and stripped down, and carefully climbed into bed, careful not to disturb you. He laid on his back and folded his hands over his stomach before closing his eyes. If he fell asleep right that second, then there was a good chance that he wouldn’t be awake when you finally woke up. But you were completely knocked out and showed no signs of ruining your sleep by getting up and leaving.

However, ten minutes after Bane called it a night, you opened your eyes. A fraction, at least. You yawned widely and stretched your limbs, then wiped the drool from your cheek. You were still out of it, and had no immediate reaction to seeing Bane sleeping peacefully right next to you. You simply turned on your side and hummed to yourself as you buried your face in the pillows.

“Still not playing favourites?” you whispered, a grin gracing your lips.

He did not reply. You only heard his mechanical breaths as he slept. You chuckled quietly to yourself as you prepared to drift off again. And just when you thought you had the last word, he made a slip-of-the-tongue.

“No.”

His obvious lie only made you smile wider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this juicy enough for y'all?


End file.
